Suggestions for pocket sized WiFi device?

I rolled the dice and bought a Nokia N810 off of ebay that "would not power on". When i got it, it was brand new.... but, just like the auction said, it would not power on. It looked, felt, smelled totally new, and from what I can tell, wasnt water damaged....

Checking the warranty status on Nokia's website, the initial manufacturer warranty is still valid... so today I sent it off to them for a repair....

I hope they get me a working one :) If so... I'll have gotten an N810 for 65 bucks (55 ebay auction + 10 bucks to ship it out to nokia)

edit: when I plugged it into my computer, it would be recognized, and even allow me to transfer firmware and other stuff .... I highly doubt it was water damaged... so i'm staying hopeful....
:)

i'll let u guys know how it all turns out next week
 
The N800 and N810 models did have some that would suffer from a dead LCD from time to time, could be the issue with that particular one you happened upon. Regardless, if they do replace it, for what you spent, you made out like the proverbial bandit... ;)
 
Your Nokia N810 device, serial number 001D6EDxxxxx, was received for repair on 06/30/09.

Unfortunately we were unable to repair your device and are currently awaiting delivery of a replacement device for you.
_____________________________________

and under that it says "Current Status Awaiting Replacement Device"

no "rejected" or anything like that.... so methinks im getting a brand new N810 for 65 bucks :) just waiting for them to get it and send it back now....

*giddy*
 
Dell X51V came intoday, $108 off Ebay,

So far so good, no problems connecting to my wireless hub at all.

Running Windows Mobile 5, any tips and tricks?
 
Get Windows Mobile 6.1 on it... ;)

As for anything else... that's up to you. There's a huge number of apps out there, just depends on what you're interested in.

For media work, there's really nothing better than TCPMP, which you can find here:

http://picard.exceed.hu/tcpmp/test/

Grab the .72 RC1 build (use the .cab file, it's easier). .cab files in Windows Mobile are pretty much the installers. If you're familiar with ActiveSync, and how it works to communicate/update/etc a Windows Mobile device, then you'll be familiar with the need to cradle your device to get software installed that way.

Using the .cab files means you can copy them to an SD or CF card, put that card into the device, then install the software that way. Far more efficient, less muss and fuss. Just run Explorer on the Axim, find the .cab file and run it.

One tip that can help with the Axim's overall performance: get a high capacity CF card (like 4-8GB) and put it in and leave it there. Install software to that CF card (with Windows Mobile you can install software to internal memory - not really recommended but possible, to the CF or to the SD cards. As most hardware/computers nowadays have SD card readers (never seen a laptop with a CF reader in it due to size restrictions), the suggestion to get a high capacity CF card is so you can just leave it in the Axim without needing to remove it; use SD cards for that purpose if necessary, they're typically cheaper, and most certainly easier to swap out and about.

Grab the TCPMP cab installer, get it installed, then change the options in the program so it associates with all the audio/video files, etc. There's a commercial product, The Core Player, which is the progression of TCPMP gone commercial (duh). Has some newer features, but overall the performance is basically the same. There are some plugins for TCPMP to allow for more capabilities as well, other format compatibility although TCPMP is pretty much ready to play most anything out there.

Save the internal memory on the Axim for last resort stuff since you can install apps to the CF card. The Axim is several years old now, and the internal memory can only go so fast. Some of the lastest 133x and 266x CF cards outperform the internal speeds easily, so you can actually get better performance from doing things that way.

Installing a new ROM can be a tricky proposition, but as long as the battery is charged up you're fairly safe in the process. Bricking an X51v is fairly tough but it is possible, so... keep that in mind.

You'll get better performance with WM6.1, WPA/WPA2 capability for wireless, and some other nice stuff including support for the latest apps which require WM6+ installed.
 
Joe Average said:
Get Windows Mobile 6.1 on it... ;)
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I have an upgrade version for a Samsung Blackjack II, can it be used?

Save the internal memory on the Axim for last resort stuff since you can install apps to the CF card. The Axim is several years old now, and the internal memory can only go so fast. Some of the lastest 133x and 266x CF cards outperform the internal speeds easily, so you can actually get better performance from doing things that way.
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Will do, I'll pick one up. The 4 gig cards are pretty cheap.

Installing a new ROM can be a tricky proposition, but as long as the battery is charged up you're fairly safe in the process. Bricking an X51v is fairly tough but it is possible, so... keep that in mind.
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I watched a few being done on Youtube, looks pretty easy to install. I take it this is required for Win 6.1? I'll do more research tonight after I return from a car show =)
 
No, you can't use the Samsung WM6.1... Windows Mobile isn't like Windows on a PC, you don't have just one "installer" that installs it on everything, they are locked ROMs designed to function on just the device they're tailored for.

There are a multitude of WM6.1 ROMs available for the Axim X51v, each one offers something different depending on who "cooked" the ROM (the terms come from the community of ROM hackers/developers who have created "kitchens" where you disassemble the ROM contents and then, using the contents like ingredients of a recipe, you "bake" or "cook" the contents/parts back together into a new ROM file).

Some of them are fairly basic based on the original ROM from the manufacturer, some of them are highly customized with tweaks, etc, but you must get an X51v ROM or you'll brick the device (I'm guessing you know what that means...).

Lenny, MagLite, Football, those are some of the names of ROM developers over at XDA-Developers.com in the forums. You can find the ROMs over there, just be sure that you follow the guides step-by-step. You'll need an SD card (preferably a small one, like 512MB or 1GB but nothing larger), formatted cleanly as FAT32 (that's the only filesystem that works for ROM updates/upgrading), and then the relevant ROM files (there will always be two, a main ROM file and a checksum file to go with it) placed on that empty SD card - you can't have any other files on that card, hence it being cleanly formatted and containing only the two relevant ROM files.

After that, you insert the card, reset the X51v with the update method (hold the Wireless + Power button down and hold them that way, then quickly press Reset just for a moment, that's all it takes, you don't keep it pressed in) - after you quickly press Reset for that single momentary contact, and while still holding Wirelesss+Power, keep holding them down till the Update screen appears, then you can let 'em go. It'll check the ROM and checksum, then it'll list the ROM name onscreen, press the center button on the D-pad twice, then the update begins. Takes roughly 10-15 mins, when it's done it'll tell you.

That's about it... just pick a ROM and set everything up, do the update, and you're on...

(If you have questions, ask...)
 
Flashed to WM6.1 (Football edition) with TCPMP video player installed.

AVI's and MPG's play buttery smooth! The WiFi works much better under 6.1
 
Yep... I figured you'd find something there to like. :D

Now, here's a tip: to improve battery life, change the Processor setting to "Power Saving" where it runs at 208 MHz constantly - that is more than enough to play most any video you happen to have at full framerate, including Divx/Xvid rips, mp4 files, whatever you throw at it. You can test this by using the Benchmark feature of TCPMP too: load a file, benchmark it, and as long as it shows a 100% or higher rating, that means it's playing at full speed.

If you have something that requires more power, then sure, just adjust it back, but I almost always leave mine at 208 MHz and everything works fine, maybe a tiny bit of lag on some applications, but it's worth it in terms of the tradeoff for very long battery life and device usage.

With my X50v, and some Xvid rips on the SD card and the extended 3600 mAh battery, I can watch close to 3 "average" length movies (say 1.5 to 2 hours each) before I even get close to a low battery alert. TCPMP utilitizes the Intel 2700G for acceleration hence you can play files with the 208 MHz speed setting and not have issues.

I use TCPMP for all the media stuff, including mp3 playback. I a hard key set for turning the display on and off (saves a shitload of battery doing this, and it's not just dimming the backlight, it is literally shutting off the entire display), back/forward for tracks, and volume up and down is assigned to the Wireless/Record button on the side so when I'm out walking or whatever, it's easy to adjust without issues. For straight audio playback, I can easily get 20 hours (with the display off) of random mp3/ogg audio playback, and roughly 10-12 hours of streaming audio with the Wi-Fi enabled.

Even though I still just have the X50v and I still have never actually owned or even found anyone locally with an X51v, I hope to get one sometime. As old as they are, they are still 100% useful in so many ways...
 
Joe Average said:
Even though I still just have the X50v and I still have never actually owned or even found anyone locally with an X51v, I hope to get one sometime. As old as they are, they are still 100% useful in so many ways...
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People on Ebay agree!

I lucked at at $103 plus shipping, tried for weeks and $150+ was the norm. The Dell mini is being sold as we speak.

The only other thing I'm going to pop for is 3600 or 4400 mAh battery, they are cheap enough.

Have to fool about with a browser next, somthing with better display options than IE.
 
It finally came back :)

hv6r80.jpg


if you zoom in on the pic you can see the "apology" letter nokia sent me about not being able to repair the one i sent in and having to replace it with a brand new one from the factory :) :) :) :)

the device works great, and since i got it for so damn cheap, im obviously super happy with it :)

it also turned out to be the best thing to happen to me (technology wise) in a while...

in order to get it online with my w580i, i had to debrand my phone (running at&t firmware)... something that I had put off doing for so long.... but because I wanted to get these two guys working together, I went through with the debranding, and holy crap, my w580i is so much cooler now that its running the regular firmware and not the crippled at&t one :)

so in the end, im getting away with a super cheap n810, and a vastly upgraded cellphone :)

the N810 is pretty nice IMHO.... browsing the internet through my phone's EDGE connection is fast (at least for me), and Orb TV streaming works *great* with my media server (can even change channels.... awesome)

I am happy

edit: replaced the disgusting, blurry, huge cell pic with a smaller disgusting, blurry cell pic
 
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As long as you understand the extended batteries require more "space" in your hand as they stick out a significant distance from the standard form-factor. Most everyone that sells them on fleaBay also includes the required extended cover also. I'd say just pick one that looks reputable and has very good feedback, and if possible get one that specifically states it is an actual Dell extended battery - those are tough to come by and a bit more expensive, but the real Dell ones will actually work a bit better than cheap knockoffs.

The BEST extended batteries for the Axims are made by Mugen, and rather pricey, but they truly are the best ones you can get. You can find 'em listed at:

http://www.aximcases.com/store/aximx50.html

at the lower end of the page. That super extended 3300 mAh one for $65 will last for years to come if you consider it a worthy expense, better than most any others.

As for a browser, a lot of people recommend Opera mini, and some use Opera itself. I never did/do a lot of surfing on my X50v so IE is fine for me.

brucedeluxe169: To paraphrase a famous South Park saying...

"YOU KILLED ON THAT ONE, YOU BASTARD!!!"

Congrats... ;)
 
gdonovan said:
The Dell mini is being sold as we speak.
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yup... once the next generation of tablets are out (with better processors + proper 3d acceleration), I really dont think I'll be able to justify another laptop purchase.... the current generation is *oh so close* fulfilling 100% of my needs for mobile computing :)

Joe Average said:
As long as you understand the extended batteries require more "space" in your hand as they stick out a significant distance from the standard form-factor. Most everyone that sells them on fleaBay also includes the required extended cover also. I'd say just pick one that looks reputable and has very good feedback, and if possible get one that specifically states it is an actual Dell extended battery - those are tough to come by and a bit more expensive, but the real Dell ones will actually work a bit better than cheap knockoffs.

...
...
...

As for a browser, a lot of people recommend Opera mini, and some use Opera itself. I never did/do a lot of surfing on my X50v so IE is fine for me.

brucedeluxe169: To paraphrase a famous South Park saying...

"YOU KILLED ON THAT ONE, YOU BASTARD!!!"

Congrats... ;)
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I know its a bit weird, but i've always kinda *liked* the added bit of ass that the extended batteries gave devices.... for most of the ones i've had, they always made the device more comfortable in hand for me (maybe im weird)

and yea, I recommend opera mobile too... girlfriend uses it on her WM 6.1 phone, and its really the best we've been able to find....


sometimes, it pays to roll the dice on ebay.... i've been rewarded for it far more times than i've been burned for it
 
Joe Average said:
As long as you understand the extended batteries require more "space" in your hand as they stick out a significant distance from the standard form-factor. Most everyone that sells them on fleaBay also includes the required extended cover also. I'd say just pick one that looks reputable and has very good feedback, and if possible get one that specifically states it is an actual Dell extended battery - those are tough to come by and a bit more expensive, but the real Dell ones will actually work a bit better than cheap knockoffs.
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I might give one or two off Ebay a go, they are cheap enough shipped.

Battery life might not be a huge issue, I can just plug the unit in during lunch.

I'm still figuring out what I can and can't do with the unit, so far a very pleasent experiance.

As for a browser, a lot of people recommend Opera mini, and some use Opera itself. I never did/do a lot of surfing on my X50v so IE is fine for me.
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I tried it, DIRT SLOW when clocked down at 208 mhz. I uninstalled it.

Just ordered a Kinston 16 gig CF 133x card from Buy.com and already have a 16 gig Kingston SD that works fine. 32 gigs of storage goodness =)

The CF card was $39 shipped but I had a $30 coupon I have been waiting to use for signing up for a buy.com credit card.

Chances are this will be the sole transaction with it, I hate credit cards but more than happy to take the $30 bucks.

$9 for a brand name 16 gig CF shipped rocks.
 
Joe Average said:
The "problem" with the Nokia tablets is Nokia basically makes 'em and then slams the door on people that buy 'em and gives up. They just don't stand behind their products very well in my experience, so I rely solely on the community at that forum I've mentioned a few times
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Yep. I got ONE update for the 770 and the device still has a lot of unresolved bugs. I bought the 810 despite that because there's Ubuntu/Maemo (Mer) and Android to eventually fall back on, neither in polished condition yet of course.

brucedeluxe169: you lucky dog. I just paid $180 for my N810.
 
i ended up listing my n810 on ebay tonight, lol (starting at $50, buy it now for 175)

ehh, after playing around with it, i realized i just needed a tiny bit more power to truly feel satisfied with it... something like the new Cortex processors would suit me, but the current processor just left me waiting a bit more than i liked.

i feel conflicted in a way... it did exactly what I wanted it to, and i liked the design and all... but using the default browser was just unbearably slow, and the Tear browser (the community recommended fast alternative) didn't fare much better.

so, once again, i'm waiting.... the system on chip Atoms are supposed to be out by end of year... perhaps an N810-like device with one of those + moblin is where my fate will take me?
 
Joe Average said:
Personally, I still love the Dell Axim series, but if you choose one or find a good deal on one, try to get the X51v because it's a bit more stable and faster in operation because of the type of Flash-memory it has (NAND as opposed to NOR in the X50v). The "v" denotes it's a VGA device with a 480x640 (Portrait) capable LCD panel, looks great, is sharp as hell, and the "v" models also have a dedicated graphics chip on 'em: the Intel 2700G GPU which makes watching movies/games a helluvalot more fun.
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Just wanted to give you a public thanks for pointing me in the direction of the X51V- There were many excellent suggestions given but so far the Axim has exceeded all my expectations and I continue to find more uses for it!
 
Thread from the dead!

I'm looking to replace the Dell with something faster/newer but finding information about newish pocket pc wifi devices is almost impossible with the market flooded with smartphones and tablets.

Anyone have a suggestion?
 
One of the Samsung Galaxy Players? Honestly your best these days is probably just getting a small tablet (7"ers are pretty portable) or a used phone, and just using it on WiFi. They'll be better than most dedicated players and whatnot.
 
Impulse said:
One of the Samsung Galaxy Players? Honestly your best these days is probably just getting a small tablet (7"ers are pretty portable) or a used phone, and just using it on WiFi. They'll be better than most dedicated players and whatnot.
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I can't carry a tablet at work, needs to be pocket sized.
 
Definitely a used cell phone then. There are tons of them out there with bad ESNs being sold cheap.
 
shoota said:
Definitely a used cell phone then. There are tons of them out there with bad ESNs being sold cheap.
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Perhaps I should start from scratch ;-)

I need a pocket sized device with a screen size the same if not bigger than my Dell Axiom, SD or micro SD slot, wifi b/g or n. Video playing would be nice (avi support) since I have kids and its great when stuck in lines at parks and such. Onboard camera a bonus but not a deal killer.
 
Assuming you still have an Apple-shaped axe to grind, your options for a PDA/PMP device are pretty dire. All of the reputable manufacturers' offerings that I'm aware of are unpurchasably geriatric at this point, and the cheapy Chinese devices are thoroughly dodgy.

That leaves you with inactive off-contract smartphones -- where you get to choose between ridiculously-overpriced and used-phone-Russian-roulette. If it weren't for your desire for SD support, I'd have recommended getting a Galaxy Nexus direct from Google -- a (relative) steal at $350 (plus sales tax and shipping; call it ~$380). Other decent new devices run $450 and up, thanks to the collusive efforts of the carriers. Used, you could certainly find something for $200 or less, if you're okay with not having a warranty...and possibly receiving stolen goods.

Also remember that inactive smart phones can still dial 911, and children find the damnedest things amusing. While some might consider having a fleet of black-and-whites rolling in to be a teachable moment, it's best not to tempt fate. And while I'm sure you can neuter an Android device to disable emergency calling, I have no idea how deep you need to go to kill the core functionality -- there are 3rd-party dialer apps out there for the downloading.

Personally, I'd just get the damned iPod Touch.
 
niomosy said:
Why not a Samsung Galaxy Player? 5" screen, microSD slot. It runs Gingerbread but that should be sufficient.

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mp3-players/YP-G70CWY/XAA-specs
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It's a Galaxy S -- not S3; not S2; S -- with a bigger screen. 1ghz single-core Cortex A8, 512mb RAM, over two years old as a platform, and completely orphaned on the software support side (unless you find joy in flashing community-built ROMs). I certainly wouldn't buy it.
 
I have a Galaxy Player 4.0 (4" screen) that works great. Has wifi so I just loaded Skype and make phone calls through that (wherever I have wifi). The 4.0 is small enough so that it fits in my pocket. Sure it's just a Galaxy S phone without the phone - but it works for me.
 
XenIneX said:
Assuming you still have an Apple-shaped axe to grind, your options for a PDA/PMP device are pretty dire.
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I have no interest in feeding the Apple machine any money.

Yup, pickings look pretty slim.

Used is fine, I take good care of my devices and they tend to be around several years.

The Samsung Galaxy players look interesting, I'm reviewing the specs now.
 
XenIneX said:
It's a Galaxy S -- not S3; not S2; S -- with a bigger screen. 1ghz single-core Cortex A8, 512mb RAM, over two years old as a platform, and completely orphaned on the software support side (unless you find joy in flashing community-built ROMs). I certainly wouldn't buy it.
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I have no problem with that, indeed my Dell has been flashed with one which made it very useful.
 
ml1209 said:
I have a Galaxy Player 4.0 (4" screen) that works great. Has wifi so I just loaded Skype and make phone calls through that (wherever I have wifi). The 4.0 is small enough so that it fits in my pocket. Sure it's just a Galaxy S phone without the phone - but it works for me.
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I'm like what I see in the devices, might check to see if a local store has one to scope out.
 
gdonovan said:
Just snagged one of ebay for $144 not 30 minutes from my house.

If I don't like it will make a fine gift for one of the kids.
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That's basically what I did with a Dell Streak 5. Dell was selling them for $100 when you bought a laptop and I happened to be buying one at the time. Picked it up and used it for a few months until I got my first Android phone, then gave it to the kids. It worked out quite well for them until we bought a tablet.
 
What is pocket sized? I have to ask this question. My family and friends are always surprised that I can pocket my Nexus 7. But I am a small guy (5'6") and wear 33x32 pants, and haven't found a pair of pants that it won't fit into.
 
Huh, I'm a 32x32 and I wouldn't have thought a Nexus 7 would fit in a pocket... Are we talking back jeans pocket here or big cargo pants leg pocket? I guess it probably does fit in a back pocket, can't imagine it'd go into a front one tho. My 4.65" phone is already pushing it in a front pocket even tho it's very thin (slides around my leg uncomfortably when I'm on the couch, etc).

Anyway, I dunno why someone else above made it seem like used phones are such a gamble, just gotta know what you're getting and how to give it a once over, same as buying used anything. I sold both my previous EVO for like $150 just because I wanted to get rid of them quickly, both were a year old when I sold them. They were in excellent condition, even helped a guy flash one of them from Sprint over to MetroPCS.

I would think that having the ability to call 911 from a deactivated phone would be a boon even unless you just have terribly wicked/undisciplined kids.
 
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